2004 Supreme(Guj) 326
Gujarat High Court
Judgename :P.B.MAJMUDAR
GANESH COTTON AGENT - Appellant
Versus
GALDOS S.J. - Respondent
MISC.CIV.APPLN.247 of 2004
Decided On : 05/04/2004
Headnote:(a) Civil Procedure - Restoration - Application dismissed in default - Scope of - Unless application is bona fide and genuine normally Court is required to take liberal view for setting aside order of dismissal.
Normally, when a matter is dismissed for default by this Court, a liberal view is required to be taken, for setting aside the order, dismissing the matter for default, and for restoring the matter to file.
[Para 1]
(b) Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (Central Act 5 of 1908) - Sec. 115 - Revision - Dismissed in default - Restoration - Scope of - Restoration can be ordered where there are bona fide and genuine grounds for the Court to exercise discretion - In the case petitioners after dismissal of revision have taken part in the execution proceedings and having realised that before Executing Court perhaps they may fail have filed the restoration application - In view of this aspect of the matter application for restoration can not be said to be innocuous bona fide - As a result application is dismissed.
When the petitioner is a party signatory to the consent terms in that revision having deliberately taken advantage of the situation by taking part in the execution proceedings and having realised that before the Executing Court, perhaps he may fail, ultimately, this Miscellaneous Civil Application is filed. Considering this aspect of the matter, in my view, this application cannot be said to be an innocuous application, submitted bona fide, for restoring the revision on record. It is required to be noted that the petitioners came to know about the dismissal of that revision application immediately when it was dismissed for default by the learned single Judge. This fact is practically admitted by both the sides; yet, no attempt was made by the petitioners for getting the said C.R.A. restored to file for a period of more than three-and-a-half years. In between, the petitioners took part in the execution proceedings. It is not in dispute that, all throughout, the petitioners were aware about the order passed by the learned single Judge, by which the said C.R.A. was dismissed for default. Considering the aforesaid aspect of the matter and considering the fact that, in the meanwhile, in the second revision, the petitioner, who was the respondent, appeared and signed the consent terms, and now has approached this Court by way of this M.C.A., especially when the execution proceedings are at the concluding stage, it is clear that the attitude of the present petitioners is not bona fide. Under the circumstances, it cannot be said that it is a bona fide and honest application for restoring the said revision, being Civil Revision Application No. 1672 of 1980, to file.
[Para 11]
( 1 ) THOUGH this application apparently looks as an innocuous application for recalling the order dated 11. 7. 2000, dismissing Civil Revision Application No. 1672 of 1980 for default, on closer scrutiny, it is found that the application is not bona fide and genuine. Normally, when a matter is dismissed for default by this Court, a liberal view is required to be taken, for setting aside the order, dismissing the matter for default, and for restoring the matter to file. But, so far as the facts of the present case are concerned, in my view, this is not a case in which this Court would like to exercise its discretion by allowing this Miscellaneous Civil application.
( 2 ) THE facts leading to the filing of this M. C. A. are as under :- respondent No. 1 instituted a suit, being Regular civil Suit No. 106 of 1972, which was filed in the Court of Civil Judge (Junior Division) at Bharuch. The said suit was filed against one Ganesh Cotton Agent, a partnership firm and the partners of the said firm were also joined as defendants in the said suit. Respondent no. 2 herein, Dhansukhlal Bhogilal Nanavati, was one of the partners of the said firm. Since he has died, his heirs are brought on record. There were other defendants, who were joined in the suit, with which we are not concerned in the present MCA. The said suit was filed for getting a decree for possession on the ground of sub-letting as well as on the ground of erection of permanent structure on the part of the aforesaid defendants, who were given the property in question on leasehold basis. The trial court, vide its judgment and order dated 30th September, 1978, dismissed the said suit, against which respondent No. 1 herein (original landlord) preferred an appeal, being Regular Civil Appeal no. 73 of 1978, before the District Court at Bharuch. Respondent No. 1 filed the said appeal against the present petitioners as well as respondent No. 2.
( 3 ) THE appellate court allowed the said appeal by reversing the judgment and order of the trial court and the suit of the plaintiff is accordingly decreed, with costs, all throughout. Original defendants 1, 2 and 3 (which include the present petitioners and respondent no. 2 herein) and other defendants, i. e. defendants 21 and 22, were directed to hand over the vacant possession of the suit premises to the extent to which they were shown to be in the possession in the proceedings. Against the aforesaid decree of the appellate court, two civil Revision Applications were filed before this Court. So far as Civil Revision Application No. 1672 of 1980 is concerned, the same was filed by the present petitioners. So far as respondent No. 2 (another partner of the partnership firm) is concerned, he filed another revision, being Civil Revision Application No. 1748 of 1980. It is an admitted fact that both these revision applications were ordered to be heard together at the time of admitting the revisions.
( 4 ) WHEN the aforesaid matters reached final hearing before the learned single Judge on 11. 7. 2000, the Court, while dismissing the matters for default, observed as under in its order, which is at page 11 in the compilation :-". . . . . . . . . 1. These revisions u/s 29[2] of the Bombay Rent Act are very old matters of the year 1980. They were placed on the final hearing board on 12th June 2000. On that day, it was mentioned on behalf of the learned counsel for the petitioner in Civil Revision Application No. 1748/80 that the matters are probably settled. In order to ascertain whether the matter was settled and if so, to place on record the settlement, or for withdrawal of the matters, these matters were adjourned to 19th of June 2000. However, since 19th of June 2000, none of the learned counsel appearing in these matters has approached the Court either for recording the settlement or for proceeding with the matter. This is the position even today. These matters are therefore, dismissed for default. Rule discharged with no